Research Experience Undergraduate Team

Mataz Alcoutlabi, Ph.D.

REU-MSE Director

Dr. Alcoutlabi is a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Director of Ph.D. Program in Materials Science & Engineering at UTRGV. Dr. Mataz Alcoutlabi has led research projects, teaching and training undergraduate and graduate students in Europe and North America.

Dr. Alcoutlabi’s research interests encompass several areas of polymer, nanomaterials for energy storage such as Li-ion and Sodium-ion batteries and supercapacitors. More specifically, his research focuses on using and applying concepts from these areas to design nanomaterials with desirable thermal, mechanical, and electrochemical properties for use in energy storage related applications. Dr. Alcoutlabi has been actively involved in the development of nanofiber composites for use as anodes and cathodes in Li-ion and Na-ion batteries, and therefore, has extensive experience in the electrochemical characterization methods needed for the synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical performance of anode/cathode and separator materials for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries.

His research projects at TTU, University of Utah, NCSU, UTPA and UTRGV focused on the development of nanostructured materials, oil rheology, nanofiber composites and the effects of confinement at material-behavior at nanoscale. Dr. Alcoutlabi’s recent work at NCSU and UTRGV has focused on the design of polymer nanofibers and composite carbon nanofibers for use as anode, cathode, and separator in rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries.

Prof. Alcoutlabi has nearly 100 publications, 3 book chapters and two patents with more than 8560 cations and h-index 37.

Victoria Padilla, Ph.D.

REU-MSE Co-Director

Dr. Victoria Padilla is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and is affiliated with the Ph.D. Program in Materials Science and Engineering. She also serves as Director of the Nanotechnology Center of Excellence and Principal Investigator of the NSF Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program. Dr. Padilla earned her Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees in Polymer Technology from the Research Center in Applied Chemistry (CIQA) in Coahuila, Mexico, and her B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of the Andes (ULA) in Mérida, Venezuela. Her research focuses on emulsion formulation, the elucidation of physicochemical properties of complex systems, and the design of advanced nanocomposite and fibrous materials fabricated via the Forcespinning® technique. These systems are engineered for a wide range of applications including tissue engineering, drug delivery, biosensing, energy storage, and food technologies. Throughout her academic career, Dr. Padilla has published more than 39 peer-reviewed articles, one book chapter, and two patents, and has presented at over 40 international conferences and symposia. She has supervised and mentored more than 30 undergraduate and graduate students and currently leads multiple interdisciplinary research initiatives to develop functional and sustainable materials for different technologies.

Farid Ahmed, Ph.D.

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Farid Ahmed is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He has significant (15+ years) research, education, and leadership experiences in the areas of advanced manufacturing, additive manufacturing, convergent manufacturing, laser material processing, photonics sensing, printed electronics, process modeling, optimization, robotics, automation and control, and smart manufacturing.

His research interests at UTRGV include additive manufacturing processes and applications, sensing technologies for monitoring applications in advanced manufacturing, and printed electronics. He has also been working on integration of photonic and electronic sensors in systems and processes toward quality control, process monitoring, and implementation of the Digital Twin platform for additive manufacturing. He has been successful in attracting more than one million dollars in research grants supported by NSF, DOD, and DOE where he served as PI/Co-PI. Dr. Ahmed published more than 50 journal and conference articles in the field of laser material processing, additive manufacturing, and photonic/ electronic sensors. Dr. Ahmed is currently serving as the director of Rio Grande Valley BEST, a hub of Best Robotics Inc. that spreads awareness in STEM education through robotics and automation.

Pierre Lu, Ph.D.

NSF REU Evaluator

Dr. Pierre Lu is Professor of Research Methodology at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University, MED from Harvard University, and MS from Teachers College, Columbia University. His research interests include STEM education, learning sciences, global initiatives, and scholarship of teaching and learning using technology in HSI of higher education.

Dr. Lu has authored and co-authored more than 100 archival refereed publications in these areas. He has received external funding from the NSF, USDA, and many foundations. Dr. Lu is an elected National Board Director for the Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) and was inducted as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Fahmida Alam, Ph.D.

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Fahmida Alam is working as an Assistant Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). She also served as a faculty in the Electrical Engineering Department at The University of Texas Permean Basin (UTPB). Dr. Alam completed her M.S. leading Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Florida International University (FIU) in 2021. She was allied with ‘The Integrated Nanosystems Lab’ of FIU during her Ph.D. Her research was supported by NSF’s Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) and NASA’s CRE2DO center for developing cutting-edge technologies that integrate 2D materials in space-resilient infrastructure materials, communication devices, and small satellite technology.

Her research is focused on semiconducting metal oxide based nanomaterials, biosensors, wearable electronics, thin film fabrication, energy harvesving devices. She explored several nanomaterials, their properties, different biomarkers, and nanostructure-based wearable sensing platforms for detecting such biomarkers. Progress towards advancement in health diagnostics, these biosensors involves using the right kind of material that is bio-compatible, non-invasive, repeatable, reusable, convenient, and environment-friendly monitoring of biomarkers. She received the “UGS Provost Award for Outstanding Paper or Manuscript in STEM” and published more than 30 articles and conference proceedings.

Mohammad Refatul Islam, Ph.D.

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Mohammad Refatul Islam is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He is also affiliated with the Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering programs at UTRGV. Dr. Islam earned his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, an M.Sc. in Computational Engineering from the Mississippi State University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Prior to joining UTRGV, he was an NIH T32 fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Islam’s research interests broadly focus on the mechanics of biological and biomimetic materials. He leads the Biological and Biomimetic Materials and Mechanics lab at UTRGV, which performs fundamental research on characterizing multi-scale structures and mechanics of biological tissues and biomaterials using microscopy, mechanical testing, and computational modeling.

Ahmed Hasnain Jalal, Ph.D.

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Ahmed Hasnain Jalal is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Florida International University (FIU). He earned his MS from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Purdue University Northwest (PNW). Before joining UTRGV, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Utah Valley University (UVU). He was also a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) and the University of North Florida (UNF), respectively.

He was a Visiting Postdoctoral Associate at the “Center for Proactive ANalytics and Data-Oriented Research on Availability & Security (PANDORAS)” under the Energy, Power, and Sustainability Group at FIU. After his Ph.D., he was also occupied as a Visiting Postdoctoral Associate at “Biomolecular Sciences Institute” at FIU. He worked as a Lecturer (2012-14) in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). His research interests include biosensors, nanomaterials, fuel cells, thin film fabrication, fiber optic sensors, sensor data analytics, embedded systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), and wastewater filtration and monitoring systems. Meanwhile, he holds three US patents and has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings. He is a member of IEEE.

Julie P. Vanegas, Ph.D.

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Julie P. Vanegas is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). She holds a Ph.D. in Sustainable Chemistry, an M.S. in Experimental and Industrial Organic Chemistry from Universitat de Valencia, Spain, and a Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Harvard University.She completed postdoctoral research at Tulane University, Kent State University, and the University of Ottawa, specializing in nanomaterials for energy storage, photoluminescence, and chiral liquid crystals Dr. Vanegas leads the Nanoworld Vanegas Lab at UTRGV (https://www.nanoworldvanegaslab.tech), focusing on designing, synthesizing, and characterizing nanomaterials like gold and silicon nanoparticles for biomedical, environmental, and energy applications.

Her interdisciplinary research integrates chemistry, biology, and physics, supporting UTRGV's "Blue Economy" initiative to promote sustainability. Dr. Vanegas has published extensively, holds patents, and has secured funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Her work has earned her several awards, including the prestigious Rising Stars Award. She actively mentors students and is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and WISE network.